Navan Fort Armagh - Navan Fort Archaeology to Celtic Myths

Visit Navan Fort and Centre in Armagh - the famous home of the Red Branch Knights and listen to the stories from the Ulster Cycle of tales (   • Navan Centre and Fort Co Armagh; Seat of A...  ).

Considering the different places which one could visit in Armagh city in Northern ireland, Navan Fort is usually placed among the list for the history that it carries behind. Navan Fort is an ancient ceremonial monument near Armagh city in Northern Ireland, which according to history is one of the great royal sites of pre-Christian Gaelic Ireland and the capital of the Ulaidh.

Navan Fort is a large circular hilltop enclosure, that is marked by a bank and a ditch, where a circular mound and the remains of a ring barrow are found inside. There are some investigations that say something other than what we tend to see today, it says that there were once some buildings on the site that include a huge round-like structure that has been always seen and regarded as a temple.

It was believed that Navan was a pagan ceremonial site and was regarded as a sacred space, and it was featured prominently in the Irish mythology, especially in the tales of the Ulster Cycle.

Navan Fort is not a trip that you will be making to this destination only, but it is actually the heart of the larger "Navan Complex" which includes the ancient sites of Haughey's Fort (an earlier hilltop enclosure), the King's Stables (a manmade ritual pool), and Loughnashade (a lake which has yielded votive offerings).

Navan comes from the Irish name "Eamhain Mhacha" which is known to be an anglicisation of the Irish "An Eamhain" which has been interpreted as "Macha's Twins" or "Macha's brooch".

According to how people describe this place, it is where myth and reality meet. Navan Centre and Fort is actually one of the most important archaeological sites to visit in Northern Ireland and this goes back to the story about the place and about the legendary Emain Macha, the ancient goddess of war and fertility, who scored the earth with her brooch pin and traced the famous outline of this sacred stronghold of the hero Cu Chulainn, home of the famous Red Branch Knights and Ulster Cycle of tales.

In this place, you will be taken back in time to 2,000 years and experience how people used to live their lives, how they did manage to survive, and what their homes even looked like; this place will let you wander with your mind through the stories which will be unfolded in front of your own eyes.

In addition to the things which one will get to experience in Navan Fort in order to know more about the history of the place, this is also considered a good chosen place for kids for the amount of fun they will have since they could get the chance to get dressed in costumes to experience the life as a Celt, completing trails to get prizes at the end, digg in the archeo-pit to uncover bones, coins and sometimes even teeth, and that of course comes in addition to exploring the discovery room and playing in the outdoor activity - it is a place that would excite both adults with the information they will receive, and kids with those different opportunities they will get.

This was one of the exciting trips we ever had in Northern Ireland, not just for travelling back in time, but also for receiving this information in that manner and through these ways - it made the whole thing appear to be more interesting and got us even more excited about the idea of wandering the whole place and recommending it for other people who will be visiting Armagh city.

If you are going to be in Armagh city in Northern Ireland (   • Armagh City; A Glimpse of the City in Nort...  ), and you are wondering about those touristic places which you should pass by and visit then there are a couple of ones to keep in your mind and this will include: Armagh Planetarium and Observatory (   • Armagh Planetarium and Observatory with Ar...  ), Armagh County Museum (   • Armagh County Museum - Orchard County's Hi...  ), St. Patrick's Catholic Cathedral (Armagh Cathedral) (   • Armagh Cathedral - Saint Patrick's Cathedral  ).

When you come to visit Navan Fort in Armagh, you should come prepared to learn the skills of those old people during their old times that let them survive as ancient warriors, or else sit and relax and give your imagination the chance to wander back in time through the stories which will be told about the old people who used to live there.

This is definitely an interesting place to visit and know more about the history of the Celts and how they used to live, and not just that, but also get the chance to be involved with the different ways and techniques they used to follow in cooking and in other things related to their life styles.

It is a place that you should definitely visit and get to know more about the history of the Celts - never miss such a chance!

Some of the best locations around Ireland / Northern Ireland and further afield. A travel blog/vlog of the hidden treasures that are on our doorstep.